Pleviak is being held in Kingman County
TOPEKA– A former ICE officer was indicted today on a charge of impersonating a federal officer, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Andrew J. Pleviak, 42, Topeka, is charged with one count of false impersonation of a federal officer. In court documents, Pleviak is alleged to have tried to have a man who was arrested by the Kingman County Sheriff's Department released from custody. Juan Tapia-Alfaro was arrested after deputies allegedly found a Kansas driver's license he fraudulently obtained using a birth certificate and Social Security number of a person living in Puerto Rico.
On the same day, Pleviak is alleged to have called the Sheriff's Department claiming to be a supervisor with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In fact, Pleviak was no longer an ICE employee. In 2018, he was convicted of violating a federal computer security statute. On Sept. 3, 2019, Pleviak allegedly gave the Sheriff's Department a letter on ICE letterhead claiming that Tapia-Alfaro was working as a confidential informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration and requesting charges be dropped. Sheriff's Department officers saw through the ruse and arrested Pleviak on the spot. According to court records, Tapia-Alfaro said he knew Pleviak from doing work on Pleviak's house. If convicted, Pleviak could face up to three years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Kingman County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security Investigations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.